It’s
amazing what scoring a cult film can do for your career as
a music composer.

Since
John Ottman provided a both suspenseful and comical score
for Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspect (1995), the native
of San Diego, California has gone on to compose music for
superheroes like X-Men (X2, 2003), Superman (Superman Returns,
2006) and now, The Fantastic Four.

Returning
from his 2005 duty for the first movie, Ottman opens the 51-minute
album with a superb theme for this sequel’s new character,
he Silver Surfer. The four-minute track combines the tragic
figure’s looming menace, heartfelt melancholy and mysterious
identity. Listen out for the burst of an energetic electric
guitar which makes this one of the most unique character motif
we have heard in a while.

For
a summer blockbuster movie like this, expect lots of action
cues where pictures of superheroes and villains flying around
form in your mind.

As
if the track listing isn’t revealing enough, adrenaline-pumping
pieces include “Pursuing Doom’ and “Chasing
the Surfer”. Quieter moments are heard in “Someone
I Once Knew” and “Outside Help”. The impounding
strings add a touch of peril to the darkly-themed cues.

However,
other than The Silver Surfer’s theme which can be heard
in bits throughout the album, there isn’t really any
other memorable theme for the casual listener. This is not
a bad thing though, as listening to this soundtrack album
is a breeze – It’s almost like the cool surfer
dude is effortlessly breaking waves beside you.

And
kudos to Ottman, who has amazingly increased his contributions
of summer blockbuster scores since his earlier composing days.
ALBUM RATING: